ZANESVILLE - Zanesville City Schools has plans to liquidate four properties in the coming months.

According to ZCS Treasurer Mike Young, the vacant lot once occupied by Westview Elementary as well as a parking lot across the street that is no longer in use by the district will be among the properties on the auction list.

"We don't want to just be sitting on a bunch of properties we aren't using," Young said. "This property would make a good building site for someone."

The former James Madison Elementary building is currently occupied by Forever Dads, a non-profit organization that designs and manages programs to encourage men to develop relationships with their children, family and community.

Recently, the organization has showed interest in purchasing the building. However, the school district is unable to negotiate a sell with Forever Dads until the property goes through the bidding process.

"If we were approached by another government agency to purchase the facility we wouldn't have to go through the bid process," Young said. "But because Forever Dads is a non-profit, we will have to go through the process. They, as well as anyone who wants to, will be able to bid on the property."

After weighing various options to improve the conditions of the district's bus garage on Pleasant Grove Road, board members have concluded that building a new facility in Zanesville is the most feasible option.

"We recently got caught up in back to back traffic accidents on I-70 that caused delays in bus routes," Young said. "It just makes sense to have the bus garage somewhere in Zanesville, closer to the schools."

Due to the district's decision to relocate the bus garage, the current facility on Pleasant Grove will be among the properties to be sold at auction.

Young said the district's attorney has not finalized the necessary paperwork to set a date for auction but expects that date to be sometime in November.

"That information, when available, will be posted on the district website as well as published in the paper," Young said.